Hawaii Islands are the result of what happen millions of years ago. Amazingly we can still see eruptions and lava spew today. The earth is ever-changing and some of the events that occurred then are occurring now. For example here is a picture of an island being formed today. This island's formation is similar to what happen to the Hawaii Islands. Lava from the ocean floor has created an underwater mountain that have emerged above sea level.
Now lets look at some of the events that gave birth to the Hawaiian Islands.
The upper mantle we will refer to as the asthenosphere. It descends between the depths of 100 to about 350 kilometers. It is hot and capable of flow. The lithosphere is directly above it. It is brittle and cool. Upon the lithosphere are the oceanic crust and the continental crust. The continental crust is more dense than the oceanic crust. As the oceanic crust converge upon the continental crust the oceanic crust is subducted
Map of Hawaii's Volcanoes The Hawaii island known as the Big Island possess two of the most extraordinary volcanoes in the world. A map shows the relationship of Mauna Loa and other volcanoes on the island.
Kilauea The picture at the beginning of the page is one of Kilauea. In 1984 lava flow from the Kilauea and the Mauna Loa volcanoes occurred almost simultanously. Kilauea is still very active today.
Mauna Loa This is the largest volcano in the world. It stands 13,679 feet above sea level. It has been studied by scientists from around the world. Mauna Loa continue to fascinate geologists and volcanologists from around the world.